Chef Chat, Part 3: Susan Molzan and Liz Walsh of Petite Sweets

My personal circle of life is made out of sugar, and Petite Sweets -- helmed by Susan Molzan and Liz Walsh from chef chats 1 and 2 -- seems to agree. Clockwise from the lime green circle, here's a pistachio macaron, lemon cake ball, peanut butter and jelly mini cupcake, carrot cake mini cupcake, chocolate cake ball, and vanilla Madeleine, all revolving around the spoke of a salted caramel macaron.

Petite Sweets' mini cupcakes are the perfect size to down in pairs. The peanut butter and jelly cupcake, which the chefs whipped up on a whim in the kitchen one day, was received so well that it's now a permanent fixture. A soft layer of peanut butter frosting coats the vanilla cake, which is injected with a delicious glob of jelly. It's all topped with a dollop of pink strawberry cream. But my favorite is the carrot cake cupcake. Chopped walnuts rain down on a swirl of moist cream cheese frosting. The cake is cinnamony, carroty, and totally worth hopping into Mr. McGregor's garden for.

Out of the two cake balls, the chocolate was my preference, probably because I never matured enough to appreciate lemon. I like my chocolate dense enough to ruin my dinner, and this sphere of thick ganache delivered.

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But the real reason to visit Petite Sweets is to munch on les macarons.

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Two shells sandwich a thick layer of buttercream, and the mini-sandwiches are aged 24 hours before they reach your tongue. The shop serves a dozen flavors. From left to right, these are pistachio, strawberry, and salted caramel. You can't really go wrong: the tops and bottoms of all three are like pillows, and the buttercream is fluffy and smooth. My favorite is the salted caramel: sweet, but with the kick in the pants that sodium packs.

For those of you who scream for custard, Petite Sweets has you covered. The custard itself is creamy and excellent, but the real treat is the homemade hot fudge. It's the same stuff that chef Susan Molzan was stirring during our chat - a delicious blend of chocolate, Kahlua, and vanilla. "It's my mother's favorite recipe," Molzan said. "I think of her whenever I make it."

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